Chapter 2

"Bang!"

Seraphina was so enraged by my words that she grabbed the ashtray from the desk and threw it at me. I didn't have time to dodge and took the hit.

Blood trickled down my forehead, drop by drop. Neither of us spoke, just glared at each other in the frigid air.

I remembered seven years ago. Seraphina's family company, Hayes Corp, faced a financial crisis. Her father brought her to my doorstep to propose a marriage alliance.

Seraphina was at her peak then, as beautiful as an angel. I was very much in love with her.

Plus, she was my college crush, my 'one who got away,' so I agreed to her father's proposal.

But Seraphina rarely smiled. She never refused to share a room with me, but her only conditions were that I couldn't kiss her lips and had to wear three condoms.

I thought it was just her extreme germaphobia, until one day, while shopping, I saw her and Derek walking hand-in-hand in the mall, even kissing occasionally.

It was then that I understood. Derek was her unrequited love, her 'white moonlight,' and her so-called germaphobia was only for me.

I untied my tie and wiped the blood from my forehead. Seraphina was momentarily stunned; perhaps she hadn't expected her actions to have such consequences. But it didn't matter anymore.

Derek suddenly reached out and grabbed Seraphina's hand, his face full of feigned hurt.

"Seraphina, please don't fight. Is my presence causing trouble between you two? Maybe I should just leave the company!"

"I'm so sorry, Liam. It's all my fault, please don't blame…"

"Can you just shut up?"

I snarled, staring coldly at Derek. His voice was utterly grating and irritating.

He wasn't genuinely apologizing; he was probably celebrating inside.

Seraphina, however, was incredibly sympathetic, comforting him. "It's not your fault. Why apologize to him?"

"Liam, apologize to Derek right now!"

Her voice held an undeniable authority, but I was just as unwilling to yield to her.

Just then, several voices echoed from outside the door.

"Seraphina, why should you grovel for an apology from him? Why not just fire him and kick him out?"

"Exactly! He thinks he can hog everything just because he married you. If Hayes Corp hadn't been in trouble back then, you never would've married him. He's the one who broke you two up."

Hah. There they were, those vultures, squawking again. They'd always used their friendship with Seraphina to sneer and mock me.

If it weren't for Seraphina, I would have put those dogs in their place long ago.

"What do you mean 'broke us up'? Hayes Corp was on the verge of bankruptcy and came begging me for a marriage alliance to save it. Where were all of you then? Why didn't you jump out and say it would break up Seraphina and Derek?"

"Where were you then? Let me think… Ah, right. You were all hiding from her, afraid she'd ask you for money, so you didn't just hide; you blocked her, didn't you?"

I watched those hypocrites with a cold, humorless smile. They were so furious they couldn't utter a word in rebuttal, just stared, wide-eyed, for what felt like an eternity.

"That's enough, Liam! If you have a problem, take it out on me, not my friends…"

"The divorce papers will be sent by my lawyer later today."

"Liam!!!"

I was already out of the office when she screamed my name.

As I walked through the building, I noticed all the employees giving me strange looks.

"Mr. Hayes finally stood up for himself! You wouldn't believe it, Seraphina and Derek often nap together on the same couch."

"Yeah, sometimes when you pass the office, you can even hear… suggestive noises…"